Red Dead Redemption 2 is 2018's biggest entertainment launch (update)

Updated November 7, 2018: According to Rockstar Games, Red Dead Redemption 2 has sold over seventeen million copies so far, and Grand Theft Auto V has passed a hundred million copies to date.

Red Dead Redemption 2 launched on Xbox One a few days ago, and since then the game has garnered tremendous reviews from critics and gamers alike. In our review, we said, "Red Dead Redemption 2 represents a generational leap for the gaming industry. It not only gives players meaningful quests that surpass even those found in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, but it also touches on social issues that plague America even to this day."

Today, developer Rockstar Games announced that Red Dead Redemption 2 has achieved the single-biggest opening weekend in the history of entertainment. The company said, "With over $725 million in worldwide retail sell-through during its first three days, Red Dead Redemption 2 is the second-highest grossing entertainment launch of all time next to Rockstar Games' previously released title, Grand Theft Auto V, which achieved over $1 billion in retail sell-through in three days." Grand Theft Auto V launched on a Tuesday instead of a Friday.

Biggest entertainment launch of 2018.

Biggest opening weekend in retail sell-through across all entertainment releases.

Second biggest launch for three days in retail sell-through across all entertainment releases.

These sales figures are not only a testament to the reputation Rockstar Games has in the industry, but also to the quality of the product. When Red Dead Online launches in November, these figures will probably surge again.

Red Dead Redemption 2 focuses on the events after a robbery goes wrong in the town of Blackwater. Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang are forced to flee. With federal agents and the best bounty hunters in the nation massing on their heels, the gang must rob, steal, and fight their way across the rugged heartland of America in order to survive.